


Lessons In Life

by knitekat



Series: Just The Two Of Us [2]
Category: Primeval
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Gen, Young James
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-15 07:51:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2221308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knitekat/pseuds/knitekat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Young James' looks out into the night and muses as he listens for his mother needing him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lessons In Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Isellersfic](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Isellersfic).



> Thanks go to Fredbassett for the beta.

James gazed out of the window and smiled as his thoughts wandered. The rain-slicked road shone silver and he glanced up at the full moon. In this mind, the road was a ribbon of moonlight down which the fae marched to do battle with their foes. Or maybe it was the mice warriors his uncle teased him about, running down to Earth to pinch all the cheese.

A noise from the room next to his had James' head turning towards it, every sense strained to the utmost to see if he was needed. Slowly he relaxed and returned his attention to the world outside, the world he saw little of, but it was how it had to be. 

His imagination sustained him, it was his only friend and the only escape from his life, but James wouldn't have had it differently. He was needed and for now he had to be the man of the house, but soon... soon James hoped his mother would be well and life would return to normal. 

Not that James was sure what normal was any more. Everything had changed when his father left, although the absence of shouting and fear had felt so good to start with. Like he could breathe once more without the world ending, but it hadn't lasted. His mother had... he wasn't sure what, but once his father had left it seemed there was nothing holding her together any more and she'd crumbled without the need to be perfect, to obey orders and do as she was told. 

It had been left to James to pick up the pieces and he knew enough not to tell anyone, knowing he'd be taken from his mother and she'd never recover. He couldn't let that happen and the weight of responsibility grew heavier with each passing day that she didn't improve, but he had to hope she would. That she would be happy once more and he could return to being a child. 

James sighed softly. He could hope for the first but he was certain he no longer knew what being a child felt like. He'd had to grow up so much over the past few months that he didn't think he could return to the carefree life, not having to worry about having enough food in the house or that his mother needed more of her special medicine or half a dozen details a child should never have to think of but he did. Every day he had to plan to perfection to ensure he got everything right, he couldn't afford to make a mistake, too much depended on him and he couldn't fail.

James shook his head. He could worry about that tomorrow. For now, he could look out of the window at the world he wasn't really part of any more and let his imagination take him to happier times. That the road was a ribbon of moonlight and if only he could follow it to its end it would take him back to happier times. Before his father found someone else and left them behind, before his mother's heart broke and before he had to grow up too quickly. 

James closed his eyes and turned away from the window. It was pointless to want what could never be. The road was just a road, turned silver by rain and moonlight, it didn't lead anywhere but into town. The real world was a harsh place and James vowed he would never let anyone see how much it had hurt him


End file.
